Done Out of Love
by Hobsonfan
Summary: Robbie Lewis often says that lies are the root of all evil. Now he finds himself the victim of the biggest lie of all. For the second time in her life Laura Hobson is the innocent victim of someone else's story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, not for profit, purely for fun, story. I do not own these characters, just borrowing them from Lewis.**

 ** _One lie can change your whole world._**

Robbie's daughter had some unexpected visitors bearing incredible news, opening old wounds and sending her into a tailspin of emotion. "But Lyn, I never lied to you about anything else!" This part of the conversation reverberated in her brain until she couldn't take it anymore and ran out of the house. Lyn ran three blocks before she realized her feet were bare. Too numb to feel her cold toes she sat down on the ground outside a coffee shop. Tears came as she hugged herself with her arms. After several minutes Lyn was awakened out of her misery by a kind voice, "Here pet, you look like you could use this," as a middle aged woman sat down next to her and handed her a coffee.

Lyn took a few sips and let the heat and the caffeine take effect. "Thanks", she managed to croak out in-between sobs.

The clouds above them were darkening and rain was imminent. The women hoped she could shelter Lyn from the storm.

"Is it a man, luv? Cause if it is, he's not worth it."

Lyn surprised herself by laughing, then she answered, "No, it's not a man, I have a wonderful partner, a darling son and my father..." Memories of her father caused the tears for herself to turn to concern for him. Finally he was in a good place emotionally, he was happy, and now this. Her eyes widened as she turned to her companion. "I have to tell Dad."

* * *

Laura Hobson had just finished a difficult day at work, a post mortem on a child killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, a preventable death. Pall bearers say the caskets of children are the heaviest to carry and pathologists do their share of the heavy lifting. Laura looked forward to going home for a quiet evening with a book, a glass of wine, and some music. Robbie was working late on a case which suited her fine as she really didn't feel like talking to anyone and he never knew what to say to her. She would be okay; she was used to getting through these things alone. While Laura could usually read his moods and knew what he needed the same could not always be said for Robbie, who would often leave his detective skills at the door when he came home.

Just as Laura's mind was cleared of her day's burden by the wine, Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, and a new book, there came a loud rapping at the front door. Wondering why people couldn't at least use the doorbell chimes to interrupt her peace she took her time answering. The pounding continued as Laura peeked out to identify the intruder. Shocked by what she saw, Laura opened the door to admit a very distraught Lyn.

Lyn rushed into the house and threw herself at Laura. While Laura never thought of herself as a stepmother, she and Lyn had a friendly relationship and were genuinely fond of each other. They had never had a moment like this before. Laura was at a bit of a loss of what to do in Robbie's absence. Surely Lyn came to seek her father's help with whatever was bothering her.

She hugged her. "I'm sorry Lyn, your dad is not home."

Through muffled sobs she replied, "I have news."

Laura steered her into the house and over to the sofa. "Is something wrong with Jack or Susan?" Lyn shook her head. "Is it Tim?" Another shake of the head.

Laura breathed a sigh of relief that at least Lyn and her family were okay. She considered them her family too. She wrapped a blanket around Lyn and instructed her to slowly inhale and exhale, much like the breathing exercises she did when in labor with her children. "I'll make us a cup of tea."

When Laura returned with the tea, to which she added a generous dollop of whiskey, she found Lyn had calmed herself enough to be able to speak.

Lyn picked up a cup and took a fortifying sip. "I suppose it is a man after all."

"Sorry?"

"A kind woman saw me crying and offered me a coffee. She asked if I was crying over a man."

"And are you?"

Lyn gulped. "It's her, but it really comes down to a man, and then another man..." she put her cup down.

Laura took Lyn's hands and tried to make eye contact with her. "Why don't you start at the beginning."

Lyn finally connected with Laura, nodded and began a jumbled account of her news.

"One man was beyond evil..." Her voice trailed off as fear masked her face. "She didn't tell Dad and Ken made a terrible error in judgment. My brother came clean; it was his new partner Ryan who convinced him. Ken didn't want Dad to know."

Laura tried to process this initial information too quickly. "You don't think your Dad will like Ryan, that he doesn't approve? It wouldn't matter. Oh Lyn your father may be a dinosaur sometimes but he just wants you kids to be happy. He loves both of you." Robbie dutifully called Ken on Christmas and his birthday but other than that had little contact with his son. Even though he didn't talk about it Laura knew the estrangement with Ken bothered him."

"I know, it wouldn't matter to Dad. Before they blew the lid open on my world, I was enjoying getting to know Ryan on their surprise visit before...she..." Lyn heaved out a few more sobs. "Dad would like him too. Ryan is not the news." Lyn furrowed her brow much the same way her father did when confronted with adversity. "It's...lies. Dad and I have been in the dark for 15 years."

"Lies?" The darkest moments in Laura's life had been the result of lies. She was carried off by the memories. "Lies are truths that never happened", she whispered.

Lyn understood. "Yes, she and Ken..." she gurgled the next bit, "because of our Jack...and Susan, her namesake..."

"She?"

Lyn heaved a breath of finality. "Yes she and Ken have been keeping a secret from the rest of us. The evil man who started all this is dead and can't hurt us physically anymore. The fallout left behind is worse. My fondest wish has turned into a nightmare. I want to be happy about it but I just can't forget about all the years of hurt."

Laura shook her head with foreboding. Lies and a family secret could tear Lyn's world apart. Then her heart pounded as she realized that it wasn't just Lyn who was in for a bumpy ride. "This secret, does Robbie know?"

"Oh God no, and it's going to be even worse for him that it was for me, lies, betrayal, lack of trust. You are going to have to help me tell him," she wailed. Lyn stared at Laura as one more realization set in. "And you Laura, look what our family has done to you!" Lyn closed her eyes and threw her arms around Laura's neck.

"Me?" While Robbie was the detective in the household, Laura was the scientist. She too closed her eyes and processed the data presented so far, applying logic to assemble the facts into first a hypothesis, then a conclusion. Laura's eyes flew open. The secret, the lie, could only be one thing.

 **Valerie Susan Lewis was still alive.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_The devil is in the details._**

Laura waited patiently for Lyn to continue. As usual her first concern after seeing to Lyn was how this would affect Robbie, not how much was at stake for herself and their relationship. Those fears would be addressed later.

Lyn, now fortified by her whiskey laced cup of tea was ready to explain.

Two days earlier on the Sunday Lyn got an unexpected call from her brother Ken. He and his partner Ryan had just checked into a nearby hotel and wanted to visit. As she hadn't seen her brother in several years she invited them to come over right away. Lyn had worked all night at the hospital but would forego sleep to see her brother and meet his partner.

Ken and Ryan arrived with gifts for the children. Lyn took to Ryan right away and was glad that her brother was happy in a relationship. Ryan seemed a bit nervous and Lyn decided it was due to meeting Ken's sister for the first time. Ryan got down on the floor to help Jack assemble his new train set while Ken held, albeit awkwardly, his niece Susan. They stayed most of the day. After promises to return, they left to go pick up their unnamed traveling companion, still at the hotel, and go out to dinner. Lyn and Tim got the kids fed and ready for bed, then she went to work the night shift at the hospital.

Returning home in the morning Tim told her Ken had called to say they would stop by at 9 for another visit. Again, Lyn would not get any sleep but would have enough time for a shower. Tim left for work, dropping Jack off at school and Susan at his aunt's house on his way. Tim's aunt kept Susan a couple of mornings a week so Lyn could get some sleep after working the night shift. He did not leave the baby home as Ken had told Tim that he needed to speak with his sister alone.

When Lyn stepped out of the shower she heard the doorbell. It was just like Ken to arrive either early or late, never on time. She threw on some Jeans and a shirt and opened the door in her bare feet and with hair still wet. Ken entered and pushed past Lyn into the front room. Lyn noticed Ryan out front talking to a woman. Something about the woman intrigued her. Her gaze was interrupted as Ken pulled her away.

"Come sit down Lyn, there is something I need to tell you."

It was something all right. Ken's story was unbelievable, at first she thought it was a cruel joke. Lyn couldn't take in all of the details so Laura got an abbreviated version.

Fifteen years ago Inspector Robbie Lewis arrested Graham Lawrie for the murders of three policemen. Beginning with his trial and continuing on into his imprisonment Lawrie became obsessed with torturing Robbie. Death was too easy, he wanted him to suffer in life. Lawrie, who already had more than one prison guard under his control, had no trouble conducting evil acts from his jail cell and devised a plan. Robbie's wife Valerie Lewis was given an ultimatum, follow Lawrie's instructions to fake her death or Robbie would be the next policeman murdered. Pamela Carson, Lawrie's devoted girlfriend and accomplice, met with Val and informed her that if she told Robbie about the plan, she would be condemning her husband to death. Val was given 3 days to think it over. On the third day, just as Val decided to confide in Robbie she found her beloved cat Jemima dead on the doorstep. A note was attached to her collar with the simple message "Robbie is next". Val destroyed the note and lost her resolve to tell Robbie. She met with Pamela and agreed to follow Lawrie's plan. She would do anything to save Robbie from an early grave.

Val was told to go to London for a day of shopping. A pseudocide could not be accomplished in Oxford. The forensic pathology department under the leadership of Doctors Angus Rawbone and Laura Hobson would not be corrupted. It had to be the Met and it had to be during the upcoming holiday of pathologist Stuart Lafferty, another stubborn official who would not yield to Lawrie's evil influence. It did not matter, there were others in London who were useful. With Lafferty away, the plan could be implemented. Simon Monkford did indeed drive the car that 'killed' Valerie Lewis', under threat of death from Lawrie. He truly believed that he killed a woman and it led to his crisis of confidence. Monkford was a con man, but murder, even to save his own skin, gnawed at him. Lawrie let him sustain the pretense that it was an unintentional hit and run so that when he was eventually arrested by James Hathaway the charge was manslaughter, not murder.

Val was allowed to choose one of her children to go into exile with her. She knew that Lyn would never agree to the deception and approached her son with the scheme. Ken didn't go along with the charade to save Robbie, he did it to get away from his father. It was both his ticket out of Oxford and a way to punish Robbie. Ken never forgave Robbie for putting the job and Morse before his own family. Robbie's son was still the surly teenager who had made the French teacher cry at school and blamed his father for all his problems. Val left for Australia immediately and Ken joined her after the funeral leaving Robbie and Lyn to grieve.

Lyn was unable to recall her first words and reactions to her brother's story. At some point she demanded proof and Ken called Ryan to bring his mother inside to meet Lyn. It was a surreal moment for Lyn. For years she wished she could hug her mother just one more time and now that she had the chance Lyn froze, the lie of her death numbing her of any feeling. Val wanted to see the children and Lyn was happy they were not home. She missed her mother the most during her pregnancies and spent many hours telling Jack and Susan stories about the grandmother she thought they would never know. Lyn ran out of the house where she was first comforted by a stranger outside the coffee shop, then by Tim who came to collect her after the good Samaritan called him.

Lyn asked Tim to stay at his aunt's house with the children until she sorted out her feelings. How would she explain this to Jack? While the scene with Val was a blur she did remember her mother (her mother!) and Ken asking her not to tell Robbie. Lyn told them no, the lie had lived long enough. She made the trip to see Robbie alone, telling Tim she needed to know the children were safe with him. Finding Robbie not home when she arrived, she discovered it was Laura she needed first.

Laura had many questions but they would have to wait. The two women held each other, Lyn wounded by the discovery of the lie, Laura heartbroken for Robbie and his daughter and haunted by lies from her past. The cat jumped up on the sofa and encircled the two of them while the dog huddled at their feet. Laura's earlier selections of soothing music continued playing in the background. When the music ended Lyn steeled herself and faced Laura.

"I know it's a lot to ask. Will you be with me when I tell Dad?"


	3. Chapter 3

**_The Will to Power_**

Faux death had been instant, or instantaneous as Morse would have insisted. The body shown to Robbie Lewis was that of another woman from the morgue, so completely mangled that she was unrecognizable to her husband or anyone's husband. Dr. Laura Hobson, Robbie's colleague and friend tried to get access to the records to find out all she could and was denied access. It happens, one department does not like another looking over its shoulder. Fake dental records were created and in his state of grief Robbie was deceived by the fabrication. The truth was stranger than the lie.

Prior to her shopping trip Val withdrew enough cash to keep her afloat for a few weeks. Later Robbie would suspect Val planned a massive Christmas shopping. She had a personal account with money inherited from a cousin. Robbie had insisted it was her money and to keep it separate from their joint finances. Her children were the beneficiaries of the remaining balance of the account and it was Ken's share of this money that he and Val used to start their new lives in Australia.

It took some months before the reality set in that this decision, the fake death, was final. There was no going back. Val resigned herself to her fate and made the best of it. She implored Ken to keep in touch with his sister and ask after Robbie. Ken's accounts of Robbie's grief were watered down and Val was assured that he had moved on not long after the funeral. Robbie did move on but not without suffering for more than a decade. When she received the news about Lyn's baby, Val ached to be able to hold Jack, her first grandchild. For his mother's sake Ken collected as many details as he could about his nephew to pass on to her.

Lawrie had arranged false documents for Val under her new name, Rose M Kennly, which allowed Val to find employment at a care home for dementia patients. As the positions were difficult to fill, applicants with no experience were welcomed and training was provided. Ken went to a culinary school and trained as a chef. He found employment at a rather posh restaurant and ran a kitchen much like the ones seen on reality television, Ken's temper often flaring at those who did not perform to his standards.

While Ken found many social activities and friends, Val kept herself to herself outside of work and attending church. She did not want to have to answer questions about her past life. After a few years she was paired up with a man, a fellow church member, to run the coffee stall. At first they worked together mostly in silence, then slowly developed a cautious friendship, neither willing to reveal much from the past. It was a relief to Val to have a friend her own age to talk to although guilt and not wanting to betray Robbie kept her from getting too close. His name was Jonathan, a willing volunteer for every church project, choosing tasks that mostly allowed him to work alone. He was a man of few words and the vicar recognized the same sadness in his eyes that he saw in Rose M Kennly. Pair them up he decided, harness their will to power so to speak.

Meanwhile Ken had met Ryan, a mining engineer, project manager for operations in Australia's gold mines. Val liked the mild mannered Ryan and wondered what he saw in the volatile Ken. Perhaps it was a case of opposites attracting. Eventually Ken confided in Ryan about his mother's 'death' and the father he left behind. Ken embellished the lie saying that it was all for the best as Robbie would never accept Ken's life with Ryan. Val was sure that Ken's choice of partner would not matter to Robbie and sometimes she would fantasize the lie would surface and they all would live happily ever after. How could it remain secret forever when there were so many people in on it? What was the expression, 'three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead'? If it came from someone other than her, then if something happened to Robbie it wouldn't be her fault, it would be out of her hands. She decided that was the coward's way out but at least a way out.

In her many moments alone there were plenty of opportunities for second guessing and if onlys. Why had she let Lawrie manipulate her? Why hadn't she trusted Robbie with the threat? In the early years of their marriage Val and Robbie had the confidence of immortality afforded to young adults. After the children came, Val mainly objected to the job as Robbie was hardly ever home in the evenings to help run the household. He would try to make it up to her on occasion and they would hire a babysitter and go out to eat or to a movie. When the children were older and more independent Val was able to join clubs, pursue hobbies such as knitting and bird watching, blissfully unaware of how close Robbie had come to death more than once during his career.

Robbie, feeling guilty about not being home much and frustrated with Morse for not recognizing his contributions to their success rate, applied for an opening in the traffic department. It would have meant both a promotion and more normal working hours. Val had two worries, one that Robbie would be bored in traffic and the other was how it would infringe on her new found interests that she doubted Robbie would share. For his part Robbie had been reading up on birds in his off moments so much so that he even knew more about the subject than Morse. In the end, Robbie turned down the job with traffic after Val voiced concerns and Morse made conciliatory gestures that improved their working relationship.

After Robbie's promotion to Detective Inspector of murder investigations, Val proudly attended the annual Christmas party where Robbie received congratulations from Chief Superintendent Strange. While Robbie made the rounds of his colleagues, his newly assigned sergeant constantly at his side, Val stood with a drink just within earshot of Strange and the pathologist, Dr. Laura Hobson. Val overheard them talking about Robbie and Morse. She smiled as Strange and Hobson both expressed the opinion that Morse was lucky to have had Robbie as his devoted sergeant, it wasn't an easy assignment. Then Strange and Hobson discussed the shocking conclusion of the case called 'The Way Through the Woods'. The papers had revealed the murderer, living under the alias of Cathy Michaels. What wasn't printed in the papers was how Robbie had rushed headlong into the wrong conclusion and this time it was Morse who saved the day and the life of his sergeant. Val froze as Strange recounted the sordid details. She felt like marching over to Robbie and hitting him for putting himself in harm's way and for not revealing all the details in his account to her of the case. His phone message as to why he would be home late was deceptively evasive although she had not realized it at the time. Of course Val Lewis was not the type to make a scene and she had long ago decided that in order for their marriage to survive she would have to let Robbie pursue his career the way he wanted. Now Val's concern about the job shifted from the inconveniences to the dangers associated with it.

Unaware that their conversation was not private Strange and Hobson moved on to other topics including Robbie's overly tactile new sergeant. A man came up behind Val and touched her shoulder. "These dos are brutal for the spouses aren't they?" Val nodded and he continued. " It's bad enough when your wife's a cop, now my son wants to be one as well. Oh well, at least the drinks are flowing more freely here than her previous department". Val was struck by how handsome the man was, although it was probably the drink affecting both of them. They chatted for a few minutes, comrades against the thin blue line of cops that dominated their lives. Later that night in bed, with Robbie happily snoring away, Val was conflicted with her fears for Robbie and anger at his keeping her in the dark about the dangers he had faced. What else hadn't he told her? Images of the dapper stranger kept forming in her head. What would it be like to have a husband who was carefree, charming, and not a cop? She felt her shoulder where he had touched it, reliving the electricity of the moment. Did Robbie feel that way when his female sergeant touched his arm?

When Pamela Carson presented Graham Lawrie's evil plan Val was vulnerable to the threat because of her conviction that Robbie would likely put himself in harm's way to stop Lawrie and her guilt about her not so innocent thoughts about a brief encounter with a stranger. Had she confided in her daughter instead of her son the outcome would have been different. Instead Val, Robbie, Ken, and Lyn were left tangled in the lie until three things happened in rapid succession, the death of Graham Lawrie, the arrest of Pamela Carson, and the birth of Val's second grandchild. It was time for the continental divide to end.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Fights with Monsters_**

Robbie arrived home in the early hours of the morning exhausted from his current murder investigation, planning to remove his jacket, tie, and shoes and lie down on the bed without disturbing Laura. He was surprised to find lights on downstairs and even more surprised to find Laura and Lyn on the sofa with Monty bridged between them. He looked from Lyn to Laura, "Is everything all right luv?"

Laura sat up. "Robbie, Lyn has something to tell you. It's going to be quite a shock."

Robbie wearily rubbed his hand on his chin, "It's not Jack, or the baby is it?"

"No, everyone is healthy. Dad it's..." she burst into tears.

Robbie glanced at Laura as he knelt down to put his arms around his daughter. "Whatever it is Lyn, you can tell your old Dad."

Laura put her hand on Robbie's shoulder. "It's going to be a shock, you need to prepare yourself."

Robbie's face darkened as he turned from Laura to his daughter, "Go on Lyn."

Lyn gulped for air and blinked back tears. "It's Mum, she's...we were lied to, she's still alive!"

Laura and Lyn each held their breath while they waited for Robbie to respond. What he said next was the last thing they expected.

"I know."

Lyn recoiled from her father's arms. "What? Dad! You lied to me too!" Then she flew at her father and pummeled him in the chest.

Laura took hold of Lyn's shoulders and gently tried to pull her away. Lyn resisted at first then gave up the fight and allowed Laura to take over. "Robbie, how long have you known?" Surely Ken must have called and told him sometime after he gave his sister the news. Laura held onto that thought for dear life. What other explanation could there be?

* * *

James Hathaway arrived at his flat about the same time as Robbie was explaining to Laura and Lyn when and how he learned about Val. He put his takeaway bag down on the table, grabbed a fork and took the lid off his container of Chicken Vindaloo. Except for coffee and cigarettes, James had not ingested anything all day and he ate heartily. After clearing away he reclined on the sofa with his guitar, idly strumming some chords as an idea for a new song tried to construct itself in his head. He stared at the plant on the side table. The cactus had been left to him by Oxford's former Chief Superintendent, Jean Innocent. When presented with it, James told the new Chief Super, Joe Moody, that Innocent must have been trying to tell him something and he brought the plant home to figure it out on his own time.

He studied his bequest carefully. If only plants could talk. From this angle James noticed something he had not seen before. There was a bit of white paper sticking out between the inner and outer pots. He put his guitar down and walked over to pick up the cactus. The brown inner receptacle was easily separated from the yellow container revealing a folded piece of paper that had worked its way upward. James was a bit annoyed with himself for never looking for an actual message from Innocent. Even though he expected it was just a misplaced shopping list he unfolded the paper to discover a series of clues, headed by two names, Rose M Kennly and Valerie Susan Lewis. There were dates, places, and other details on the paper. Then came the names Simon Monkford, Graham Lawrie, a former Oxford DCI, and the long ago discharged crap pathologist Dr. Cook. James followed the diagram created by Jean Innocent leading him to the startling conclusion. Did Robbie know? He tried calling him and got no answer. He selected another number from his phone's memory.

Jean Innocent saw the caller id and wasn't sure whether to be pleased or angry. "I've been waiting for your call. I was beginning to wonder if Moody threw the cactus in a bin."

* * *

When he finished telling Laura and Lyn the when and how, Robbie hoped they would understand the reason why he hadn't told them what he knew. Before he could explain Lyn stopped him.

"I can't listen to any more of this. You and Mum, and Ken, should all go be together. You deserve each other. " Lyn pulled something out of her pocket and handed her father a piece of paper. "This is where Mum's staying, with Ken."

He read the address. "Lyn, I didn't know she was here in England. You have to believe me." Robbie crumpled the paper up in his hand.

Lyn just shook her head and looked away from her father.

Laura tried to keep her voice even. "You need to go, Robbie, see Val. She is still your wife." He could see the hurt in her eyes. "It's what you always wanted."

"I don't know what I want. I don't know what to feel"

After all the years of being patient with Robbie, waiting for him, making sure he was okay, letting him take her for granted, Laura Hobson finally had more than she could take. In a tone of voice he had never heard from her before she commanded, "You need to find out. So go, be Val's husband." Laura got up, turned him around and pushed him towards the door. "Be brilliant", she shouted at his retreating back."

Once outside the door, Robbie decided where he needed to go first.

* * *

Robbie had been here many times, usually with flowers in his hands and tears in his eyes. This time was different. He carried a hammer. Valerie Susan Lewis died in December 2002. It said so right there on the headstone. Robbie swung his right arm back, the hammer poised to do some damage. Just as he was to release his arm Robbie was grabbed from behind, the flying hammer stopped by the grip of James Hathaway.

"Get away."

James hugged Robbie tighter. "It's against the law to deface a grave. You know that, you're cop, a good one."

"I don't feel like a good cop right now." He struggled in vain against the younger man's grip. "Val didn't think I was a good cop or she would have told me when..." Robbie broke down in tears and collapsed into James.

"I know."

"Jean Innocent told you." Robbie slumped to the ground with James still hanging on to him.

"Not exactly, she left me some clues. She trusted me to look after you."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"It was my job for ten years to know where you were." He took the hammer from Robbie's fist and set it down gently. "I traced your mobile. I'm a good cop too."

* * *

After seeing to Lyn throughout the night, Laura needed to tend to herself. She had called Tim and asked him to leave the children with his aunt and come get Lyn. When Tim arrived, Laura left the house, the one she shared with Robbie, and took refuge in the one place where no one ever lied to her.

Laura calmly told her story to Harriet, age 76, a retired school teacher with congestive heart failure. Harriet was a good listener. When she finished Laura smoothed Harriet's hair and tidied up her cover, then returned her to the vault. Next came Bella, age 24, victim of an abusive boyfriend, then Derrick, 56, a firefighter.

DS Lizzie Maddox peered through the window of the morgue. She couldn't quite believe the scene she was witnessing. It appeared that Dr. Laura Hobson was talking to her corpses. On a mission, she knocked and opened the door a crack.

"Excuse me, Dr. Hobson?"

Laura patted Shirley, age 62, non swimmer, on the shoulder and pushed the drawer back into the vault.

"Yes, Maddox?"

"Do you know where Lewis and Hathaway are? They are not answering their phones. I expected both of them back at the station hours ago."

"Yes, I believe I know where they are." Lizzie noticed the sadness in Laura's eyes. "You should probably just knock off for the day and leave them to it."

"Uh, thanks." She started to let the door close then caught it and pulled it open and walked into the morgue. "If you don't mind my saying so ma'am, you look like you need a friend."

"Thank-you, no, I'd rather be with them, I mean here, on my own." She waved her hand at the drawers in front of her. "Oh I don't know what I need."

Lizzie moved closer to Laura and slouched a bit so she wouldn't tower over the diminutive pathologist. "Dr. Hobson, can I buy you a coffee?"

"Coffee!?" Laura pulled a face.

Lizzie grinned. "Something stronger?"

"That sounds a bit more like it."

"C'mon, I'll round up a couple girlfriends, we'll get pissed and run down men. Want to call any of your mates?"

Laura briefly considered the easily excitable Ellen Jacoby who happened to be in town for a conference and shook her head. Ditto for her fellow former medical student friends. A new crowd was what she needed tonight. "No, I want you and your girlfriends buying drinks just for me."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Not that you lied to me but I no longer believe you._**

James had been in the cemetery long enough. "C'mon Robbie, I'll take you home."

"Ah, well Laura told me to go."

"Go?"

"-to see Val."

"Then you will come home with me tonight and first thing tomorrow that's what you'll do." He put his arm on Robbie's shoulder as they walked away from Val's grave. With his free hand he worked his phone. "I sent Laura a message."

"I hope she approves of it." Robbie rubbed his left arm with his right hand.

* * *

After a night of heavy drinking, Lizzie brought Laura back to her flat. During the evening Laura had not spilled one drop of specific information about Robbie. She talked about men in general terms, mostly their lack of communication skills. Lizzie and her girlfriends knew all about that, having encountered it with the men in their personal and professional lives. Laura let the others look after her, making sure she always had a fresh drink and a sympathetic audience.

The next morning one eye was carefully opening while the nostrils picked up the scent of fresh coffee. Laura carried a tray into Lizzie's bedroom. "C'mon, sleepyhead it's almost 10."

Lizzie groaned, "I'm late for work."

"No worries, I got you the day off. Both of your bosses are incommunicado anyway."

Lizzie sat up and eyed the fresh looking Laura. "If you don't mind my asking, how is it you look the picture of health while my eyes hurt, skin hurts, and this tongue is too big for my mouth?"

Laura laughed. "It was a good night." She shrugged her shoulders. "Experience, it comes with age. You'll get there." Laura pulled the covers off Lizzie. "I've booked us into a spa for the rest of the day."

"A spa?"

"At the Randolph." She poured Lizzie a mug of coffee. "We deserve it. Look what you put up with, Tony being absent from your life, working away from home."

Lizzie gulped some coffee. "Hey, there's whiskey in here!" She took another drink and let the restoration begin. "If you don't mind my saying so, Inspector Lewis is absent from your relationship even when he's in the same room with you." Lizzie set her mug down. "Sorry, that was overstepping."

Laura eyed Lizzie with respect. "You are a good detective." She gathered up the coffee mugs. "Now why do smart women such as us put up with it?"

"Because we love them?"

"Yes, even though there are times we could strangle them."

"Good thing it's not easy to do."

* * *

Sitting at a table in her hotel suite waiting to meet her husband, Valerie Susan Lewis vowed she would never be called Rose M Kennly again. There was a knock on the door and she got up to admit Robbie.

When the door opened they both froze and stared at each other. It had been a long time since Robbie said goodbye to Val on her way to a London shopping trip.

For years Robbie had fantasized about holding Val one more time. The years of grief and his anger over the lie melted away and he wrapped his arms around her. Val responded by hugging him tightly. Neither spoke for a moment as they tried to find something familiar. Robbie could tell that Val had lost weight and now used a different perfume. Val stretched her arms around Robbie's expanding waistline. It had been easier with the ghosts than the real live person. Then Val found the troublesome spot on his back and caressed it as she had done so many years ago. Robbie was keenly aware of her gentle kneading, in contrast to the strong hands of Laura.

They broke apart, hearts pounding.

"Robbie, I'm sor-"

"Ssh." He silenced her with a kiss."

* * *

The coffee stall at Saint Andrew's Uniting Church in Brisbane was in disarray. Rose was away and her replacement, Martha, was more interested in finding out about the personal life of Jonathan than serving coffee to the parishioners. Was he single, married, divorced, had he any children? Jonathan ignored her by pretending to be hard of hearing. He missed Rose. Working with her was easy, no questions. Carrying a coffee urn back to the kitchen for a refill he stopped at the bulletin board to read a flyer from the local operatic society about their next musical performance. Later, during the washing up Martha again badgered Jonathan with questions. Maybe he should just tell her, tell everyone, that his beloved wife died of cancer after only 3 years of marriage and later he would lose his only child because of a lie.

* * *

A flood of emotions coursed through his entire body as Robbie pulled away from Val. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to feel."

"You have every right to be angry with me."

"I was at first, angry for all the wasted years of grief. I should have been happy that you were alive, instead I acted like a prickly schoolboy just like..." He shook his head at a memory.

"Like Ken, when he was in school."

"Why didn't you trust me Val?"

"I was scared. After hearing about how you would have been killed on that case in the woods if Morse hadn't worked it out and got there in time, I was worried."

"I was, am, your husband."

"I questioned your ability as a police officer, not a husband. That's probably the worst thing I could have done to you. It must have been quite a shock when Lyn told you."

"I already knew."

This time Val was shocked.

"How long have you known?"

"About 6 months."

"Why didn't you tell Lyn? And Laura, you must have told her?"

"I was worried that the truth would hurt more than the lie." He shook his head. "I didn't know how to tell them so I consulted someone."

"Consulted someone... Robbie YOU went to a counselor?

"Yeah."

Val was shocked. She knew how Robbie felt about psychotherapy. "Were you advised not to tell her?"

"What, no, I didn't mean about how to tell Lyn you were alive. I went to see someone after you 'died', the Chief Super insisted on it."

"Did it help?"

"No, it wasn't even a start. That was my one and only visit."

"I don't understand. Who or what did you consult about the current situation."

"A Psychic. I met her on a case several years ago. My sergeant said she was a fraud."

"And she's not?"

"I'm not sure."

"What did she say?"

"We were following the plan of a devil. In order to break free we must clear away all the distractions until the truth is no longer dangerous."

"You understood that?"

"Sort of. Lyn was having a difficult pregnancy the second time around. Ursula, the psychic, said the shock might be dangerous and perhaps I should wait until after the baby was born."

Val said a silent prayer for the safe arrival of her granddaughter. "In time, Lyn should be able to understand and forgive you. I don't expect her to ever forgive me."

"I hope she does Val. You've suffered more than any of us."

"What about Laura, why didn't you tell her, because you hadn't told Lyn? " She saw his hesitation. "It's okay Robbie, that you moved on."

"I have a hard time telling Laura things she won't want to hear."

"Probably not a good idea."

"I know. She slung me out." Val tried to hid a smile.

"Ken says you retired to spend more time with her. You must love her very much."

"After Laura and I got together, whenever I saw her at work I had trouble concentrating. I had been banging on about taking retirement for years. She was all for it, looked forward to coming home each night to supper on the table."

"How long did you wait for her?"

"Pardon?"

"If you didn't get together until you were ready to retire, I'm guessing she was either married or in a serious relationship all those years you were single."

"No, I mean, sure there were boyfriends I suppose, but no one serious."

Val had the same question as so many others. "Then Robbie, what took you so long?"

He replied quietly, "I hadn't closed the chapter on our life. Perhaps I had so much trouble shutting it because it was still open, only I didn't know it, did I."

Val ordered coffee for them from room service. After a short break they continued filling in the blanks.

"How was retirement?"

"Laura was very happy. I didn't feel like I was earning my keep, tried a few hobbies, built a canoe. I didn't want to tell her I missed being a cop, that I was unhappy."

"Why a canoe"?

"I thought Laura and I could go out in it on her days off. Turns out she hated the idea. Even Jack wasn't keen on it. He'd rather go collecting dead bugs with Laura."

"So what happened?"

"I got a letter from Lawrie. It said 'If you are planning to marry Laura you had better deal with Rose M Kennly'. I didn't know what it meant."

Val tried not to show any emotion. "Were you planning to ask Laura to marry you?"

"I hadn't made any plans." He took her hand. "After I lost you I said I would never marry again. You were my wife. Laura saw it that way too. She didn't want to replace you."

Val had to remind herself to breathe and silently repeated her manta, 'I cannot have my old life back'. Robbie was quiet waiting for her response. Instead Val changed the subject.

"My new name, the name Lawrie gave me, it was to remind me you put Morse before your children."

"Is that how you felt about our life together?"

"To be honest, sometimes I did." She took her hand back.

"You should have told me. People don't know how you feel unless you tell them."

"I tried, Robbie. You weren't a very good listener unless you were interviewing a suspect or a witness."

"Sorry."

"You're a cop Robbie, that's who you are. I knew that when I married you." She briefly touched his arm. "Now about the letter from Lawrie, did you tell anyone about it?"

"Not Laura. She would have said he was trying to drive me mad. I wanted to find out more before I told her."

"So did you tell anyone?"

"Yeah, well the next day after a tough go at the canoe, Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent called and offered me a flexible consulting contract. I started to turn her down, not wanting to step on any toes, and I was sure Laura would not be in favor of it."

"What changed your mind?"

"I confided in Innocent about the letter, told her I was sure it was more than an annoyance. She said if I came back to work I'd have access to the resources I needed to get to the bottom of it, even said she'd help me and keep it just between the two of us."

"How did you explain it to Laura, your going back to work?"

"I didn't. I just started working and she saw me at a crime scene."

"And she just accepted that?"

"The first night, she was a bit put out. She joked that I should sleep in the canoe."

"That's all? She doesn't sound like the Dr. Hobson you used to talk about, the one who put Morse in his place more than once."

"You of all people Val should know I often avoid ignore the difficult situations."

"Yes, I remember a lot of overtime you managed to work to get out of my decorating projects. Don't look so surprised Robbie, I knew all about it. Still, I loved you, always will."

"Val, I closed the chapter on our life. Are you asking me to open it up again?"

"I wish we could but I'm afraid it's like the sequel to a book, or a reunion show. You bring back the characters and they have changed."

"Laura says the grief made me a different person."

Val folded her hands on the table. "It may be too late for you and me." Val had one dream left she hoped would come true. "I want to have a relationship with Lyn and our grandchildren."

Robbie was off in his own reverie. "I'm afraid it may be too late for me and Ken.

* * *

Meanwhile Laura and Lizzie were enjoying an Escape, Relax, and Refresh Spa Day at the Randolph. Murmurs of contentment could be heard from side by side tables during their Aroma Stone Therapy Full Body Massages.

"This is wonderful, Dr. Hob-, I mean Laura."

"If I am going to sail into retirement alone, I will go first class and not in a leaky canoe."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Warning! This chapter ends with a cliffhanger. If you don't like them you may prefer to wait and read until I have the opportunity to post the next chapter.**

* * *

 _ **An Untimely After Echo**_

They sat across from each other at The White Horse, one with a glass of wine, the other with a gin and tonic garnished with a slice of lemon.

"Thanks for meeting me."

"I was expecting your call."

"I remember the last time we met."

"As do I. You were troubled."

Val took a sip of her wine. "I was waiting for Robbie. He was going to drive me to the train station. We had to stop at his office because there was an attempted murder of a girl at Lady Matilda's College. He wanted to meet with his sergeant, Alison McLennan, and give her instructions." She smiled at a memory. "He wasn't one for mobile phones back then. After he dropped me off he would join her at the crime scene."

"You were trying to get a coffee out of the machine."

She nodded. "You were carrying files and stopped to talk to me. I'll never forget what you said, 'Mrs. Lewis, tough time you are having', and I thought how does she know?"

"About your ultimatum from Graham Lawrie?"

"Yes."

"I didn't. I thought you were upset about Alison McLennan."

"You mean how she tried to make people believe that she and Robbie were having an affair?" Val waved a hand. "I knew it wasn't true, only gossip. Robbie didn't know what she was up to. He had a blind spot where she was concerned."

"He has blind spots about many things."

Val paused as she recalled the driving instructor Robbie set her up with, the one who turned out to be a murderer. "Even so, you love him don't you?"

Laura could only answer with a tight lipped smile.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"You are his wife, his first and forever love. He mourned your passing for 10 years."

"Ah, but he was finally able to move on."

"Yes. Now he can move back." She picked up her glass and took a large drink.

"I told him it was too late for us, we couldn't relight the fireworks, such as they were."

"I sent him back to you, at least to find out if that chapter is still open, even a bit."

"He's changed, I've changed."

"The grief nearly did him in, then slowly he climbed out of the abyss."

"You saved him from himself."

They paused to finish their drinks. Val had bought the first round. Laura insisted on getting the second. While she waited Laura rotated her head, scanning the patrons of The White Horse. The odd sensation in her spine suggested she and Val were under observation. Not seeing anyone she recognized, Laura returned to their table to continue the discussion about Robbie.

"We were good friends for a long time. Someone else's lie almost drove us apart."

"Not your lie though." Val could see the faraway look in Laura's eyes.

"No."

"Even if he forgives me for this lie, he won't ever be able to trust me again."

"You had your reasons. Fear is a very strong motivator." Laura quickly downed her second drink.

"My therapist says the pathway to your greatest potential is through your fears." Val studied Laura while she drank. "I suspect you would not have been afraid of Graham Lawrie."

"No, and I had the opportunity. I was angry at Robbie for suggesting I hide somewhere safe." Her eyes blazed at the memory.

"I wish I could have been as brave as you."

"Not brave, just stubborn and logical I suppose. I knew Lawrie wanted to drive Robbie mad. With all the extra police vigilance he wouldn't have tried to hurt us."

"Robbie was worried about you...perhaps it helped him understand what I did."

Laura's face darkened. "I faced death once. Robbie and James arrived in the nick of time to save me. Robbie has felt guilty about it ever since, that I almost died because he didn't believe me."

"Why not?"

"Evidence in a case made me look guilty of murder. It was all based on a lie told many years ago. I was the victim of someone else's lie."

"Knowing Robbie, he was equally upset about getting the wrong end of the stick on a case. Sorry, that sounds mean but you know how much the job means to him."

"It's who he is. I knew the score when I joined the team."

Val nodded. "With all this going on with our family he decided to go back to work today, his way of coping, always was."

"Not so much coping as avoiding if you ask me."

"Yes, you are right about that." Val finished her wine.

"Robbie has known the truth about you for months and kept me in the dark." She tossed her head to one side. "I can understand why he didn't tell Lyn right off, although again he should have trusted my professional opinion enough to ask me about it."

"The lie was mine, not his. I should never have agreed to fake my death, despite the evil threats of Graham Lawrie."

"Death is my specialist subject and I never suspected any irregularities with yours."

"There are many ways to die and still be alive." Val took a deep breath. "I almost confided in you that day by the coffee machine."

"If you had I would have advised you to tell Robbie."

"And if I had we wouldn't be here today. You and I would both had have very different lives."

"Robbie and I would never have got together." Laura's phone buzzed. She ignored it. "Now I know why he's been so distant and withdrawn lately. I figured our honeymoon phase was over. Oh wrong word, the only honeymoon Robbie ever had was with you. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound bitter." Laura turned and looked over her shoulder as she still couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Val gripped the table with both hands. "I've got a solicitor who is going to figure out how to end our marriage. We can divorce and Robbie will be free to marry you."

She snapped her head back around to face Val. "I won't marry him."

"Because of me?"

Laura answered so quietly Val almost did not hear her. "No, because of himself."

Val frowned. "Here everyone must be thinking that Robbie has a choice of two women. How sad for him, he has neither."

"Even sadder because we both love him."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Thank-you for coming Laura."

"Perhaps we will speak again later."

"Yes, perhaps...

* * *

Laura and Val exited The White Horse and found themselves together outside in the brilliant sunshine, waiting for a bicyclist to pass by. As they were headed in the same direction the two women stepped off the curb in sync onto the road. One paused as she spied something out of the corner of her eye. The other was looking at her phone and continued on, right into the path of an approaching vehicle, coming out of nowhere, traveling at an excessive speed.


	7. Chapter 7

_**And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.**_

Robbie and James arrived at the hospital looking for information about Laura. There was a PC by the entrance who directed them to a room where they were asked to wait for a hospital spokesperson. Robbie's name was on the list of authorized emergency contacts for Laura. James tailgated behind Robbie to gain admittance. Robbie's immediate questions went unanswered.

"Please have a seat sir. Someone will be by shortly to speak with the victims' relatives." Robbie sat and slumped in a hard plastic chair.

James nudged him. "Show your warrant card."

"What?"

"Show them who you are, Inspector Lewis. Then you will get some answers."

Robbie checked his pockets, no warrant card. "I must have left it in my other jacket."

"You never go anywhere without it." James stared at him in amazement. The events of the past few days must really have shaken Robbie to his core. "I'll go then. Stay here."

For the second time in his life, Robbie received the phone call no one wants to hear. Laura had been hit by a car, only this time due to a mix up his call came several hours after the accident. He had no other details. Was it too late for Laura, for them? Feeling faint, he bent down and put his head between his knees. He had been such a fool. They had a lovely life together with him retired, she for the first time in her life having someone to look after her. He wanted to do it for her after all she had done for him. Laura was the one who loved him when he couldn't love himself, who helped him heal the jagged pieces of his soul.

James came back accompanied by newly promoted DS Alex Gray. He touched Robbie's shoulder to rouse him from his detachment. "Please report Gray." James had not heard the news yet himself.

Gray looked at Robbie, and instantly abandoned procedure and blurted out the most important news. "Dr. Hobson had only minor injuries, sir." Gray now had the knack for dealing with hospital emergencies.

Robbie couldn't believe it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. I saw her myself, interviewed her about the accident."

Robbie reached out and clasped Gray's hands. "Thank-you."

James wanted to know the rest of the story. "What about the driver and any other victims?"

Gray returned to procedure. Three other victims, one female deceased, one male critical condition, and one female serious condition. The deceased was..."he lost his place and had to find the name, "Ro-, no Rachel Shaw, age 81, the driver of the car."

James had suspected the attack was engineered by Pamela Carson. The identity of the driver made this theory rather improbable. "Was it intentional?"

Robbie wasn't interested in the rest of the details, he needed to find Laura, see for himself that she was okay. Gray told him where he could find Laura and then answered Hathaway's questions.

"No, it appears the accelerator may have jammed on Mrs. Shaw's car. In her panic she had a heart attack but not before steering to avoid a bicyclist which put her straight into the path of one Rose M Kennly, she's the one with the serious injuries."

James called to Robbie to wait while he got a few more details from Gray. The bicyclist proved to be an excellent eye witness. After the car swerved to avoid him it headed straight for Val. Laura saw what was about to happen and leapt forward to pull her to safety and put herself in harm's way. A man who had been watching them ran out and pushed both the women away and took a direct hit in the torso from the car. The vehicle came to rest against a concrete barrier.

Robbie looked at his watch and was giving James only one minute to catch up then he was going on to find Laura. James sprinted over to Robbie with the news. Val had been hurt in the accident too.

"Val? She was with Laura?"

"Yes, they were having a chat at The White Horse. She has some serious but not life threatening injuries. They moved her to a ward on the other side of the hospital from Laura."

"I'll have to go see her then. Will you check on Laura?"

"What?" James was angry. "Sure, I'll rescue Laura for you...again!" He stomped off down the hall.

Robbie turned around to head over to Val then did a complete about face. 'Not again James' and ran to catch up with Hathaway. They got it sorted, James would make an official police visit to Val in order to check on her for Robbie.

Robbie reached the area for patients with minor injuries and showed his personal identification to someone and asked to see Laura. "This way please, Mr. Lewis." Robbie followed a woman down the hall and around a corner where she peeked into a curtained partition. When she pulled her head back there was a puzzled expression on her face. "Dr. Hobson was here when I checked twenty minutes ago. She has proved to be a very difficult patient." She shook her head. "You can wait here while I try and find her."

Robbie leaned against the wall and waited for ten minutes. His phone buzzed. There was a message from Laura. 'I'm okay, it was only a small bump.' No hint as to where she was and no request to see him. He needed to see her, make sure she was okay; there was so much to say to her. Then another message. This one he had to read twice. 'Dad I need u in 236 Ken'

It must be a mistake, Val's room was 263. As he walked to Val's room he practiced what he would say to his prodigal son. James was coming out and met Robbie outside the door. "How's Laura?"

"I'm not sure. They don't know where she is." She sent me a message. He showed James the two texts, the one from Laura and then the one from Ken.

"Area 236 is where the critical victim is, the man. Visitors would be restricted."

"How's Val?"

"Sleeping. The nurse said before they gave her a sedative she kept telling everyone how Laura saved her life."

"Yeah, that's what the eye witness said too." Robbie rubbed his hands through his hair. "C'mon Laura's nowhere to be found and Val's sleeping. I must see what my son needs from me."

Robbie and James went to the critical care unit where Ken Lewis was staring through a glass at a man in a bed hooked up to several machines.

Robbie walked up beside him. "Ken? I'm here, son."

The curtain over the glass was closed as a medical team came to administer to the patient. Ken turned and faced his father.

"He's good and I'm evil."

"You're not evil Ken." Robbie tried to peer through the curtain. "Who?"

"Ryan. He was worried about Mum meeting with Laura so he followed her to Oxford to keep an eye on her. I'm afraid I haven't painted a very nice picture of Dr. Hobson. Ryan said he would look out for Mum while I went to try and talk to Lyn again."

"So Ryan was the man who pushed both your mother and Laura out of the way of the car?"

"Yes." For the first time in years, Ken Lewis cried. "Now I'm going to lose him. Ryan was born with only one kidney. The crashed lacerated it." He banged his hand on the glass." The doctor said he has some bleeding on his brain that makes dialysis dangerous. The only thing that can save him is a donor kidney. They don't know if it can be done soon enough even if we do find a donor." Ken turned to his father. "I am going to be tested to see if I can give him one of my kidneys even though the chance of me being a match is slim."

Robbie put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'll go with you son, that will increase the chances."

"You would do that for me, for us, after all I've done, the lies I've told?"

"Nothing matters now Ken except the people we love. You love Ryan and that's all I need to know."

"The crazy thing is that he loves me too. I surely don't deserve him."

James kept his thoughts to himself, that the Lewis men were undeservedly lucky in love. James said he would issue an alert at the station, asking for anyone willing to be tested as a kidney donor to report to the hospital.

Robbie and Ken left together and walked in silence to the lab. Ken quickly explained to the person at the registration desk why they were there. She looked up Ryan's patient notes and told them they had just been updated in the time it took for Robbie and Ken to get to the lab from the critical care unit. She lifted her head from the computer screen. "You are too late."


	8. Chapter 8

_**He himself does not become a monster**_

Ken collapsed into Robbie's arms.

Robbie was angry they were not given more information. "Why are we too late?"

The woman did not look at Robbie and busied herself with something else. "What? Oh, It's not bad news. They already found a donor."

Later Robbie would complain about her unprofessional behavior. Patients should be treated like customers, not cattle.

"C'mon Ken, let's head back and try to find Ryan's doctor, see what's going on."

"Here Dad, I've got a number to get in touch with him." He handed Robbie his phone. Robbie was able to get Ken to calm down enough to give the doctor permission to speak with his father. They were asked to wait in one of the hospital consulting rooms where the doctor joined them. He apologized for the confusion and explained that yes a donor had been found. A man barged into the room without knocking. Robbie was surprised as he recognized him and asked "What are you doing here?"

"I am Ryan's father. The doctor said to meet him here."

Ken had never met Ryan's father. Ryan had told him he and his father were estranged because of a lie and refused to speak about it further. It was the only chink in the armor of the even tempered engineer.

"How did you get here so quickly from Australia?"

"I live in Oxford." That was a surprise to Ken.

"Does he know you are here?"

"No, "I was press ganged into coming here by my wife and Dr. Hobson. You don't say no to either one of those women and when the two of them team up they are bloody impossible. Ryan needs a kidney and I have been tested as a possible donor."

* * *

From her hospital bed Val saw a man pass down the hall. He was eerily familiar. Pushing her brain through the fog of medication and pain she realized he was the man she met at a party many years ago, the charming spouse of a copper, the one she fantasized about. She wondered what he had been up to all these years and what he was doing at the hospital.

* * *

The next day Val was out of her hospital bed. She had injured her wrist where Laura grabbed her and had bruises on her hip and a broken ankle from hitting the pavement with both Laura and Ryan landing on top of her. Fixed up with an air cast and using a walking frame she transported herself to a patient lounge to meet with Robbie and Ken. No longer on pain medicine she was able to fully comprehend Ryan's situation and they told her a donor had been found.

"What a relief. I am responsible for this too. It never ends."

Robbie detected something in her voice. "Val, did you see the car coming and put yourself in harm's way?"

Val winced in pain, whether physical or emotional, Robbie could not determine.

"No Robbie, and while you have every reason to doubt me, it's the truth." Tears formed in her eyes. "Over the years, knowing I could end it all sometimes got me through the night." She paused. "After meeting with Laura I was hoping to talk to Lyn but she won't take my calls. While in the road I was distracted and did not see the car." Val started to cry, releasing years of guilt, pain, and loss. Robbie and Ken both held her.

She gulped for air. "Laura saw it and risked her own life for mine, then Ryan did the same."

Ken had regained his voice. "Mum, Ryan is very fond of you, having lost his own mother so young. He's such a good person, would do anything for me or you, and even a stranger." He looked at Robbie. "I'm sorry Dad."

"Ken, I'm always your dad no matter what, you don't have to apologize for anything."

"No, I mean about Dr. Hobson. It was childish of me not to want you to move on. I've been a fool."

"Laura never wanted to take your Mum's place."

"Yeah, Lyn says she is great, too great, you don't deserve her."

"Lyn said that?"

Val interrupted them. "Robbie, how is Laura?"

"They tell me she's okay."

"You haven't seen her?"

"No, she left a message that's all."

Robbie and Ken helped Val back to her room. A man looking for Ryan, also given the incorrect room assignment, stopped at Val's door, looked in and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Rose?"

"Jonathan, what are you doing here?" She had never seen him anywhere other than their church in Brisbane.

"I am here to see my son, Ryan. I left Australia as soon as I got the news. Thank God he still had me down as one of his emergency contacts. He hasn't spoken to me in several years."

Robbie wondered, how many fathers does Ryan have?

Ken quickly explained that Ryan and his mother were involved in the same accident.

Jonathan rushed to the bedside of the woman he knew as Rose to ask about her injuries and for more information about his son. Val quickly explained what happened, said it was her fault, Ryan needed a kidney transplant, a donor had been found. "I'm sorry to tell you this, my life as you know it has been a lie. After we know Ryan is going to be okay I'll explain if you want to hear it."

He put his hand on her arm, careful to avoid any bruises. "Of course I want to hear it Rose. We all have things we regret."

"Val, my real name is Valerie Lewis."

"I have not been completely honest myself. Ryan is my stepson but for several years he called me Dad. I couldn't love him more if he were my own flesh and blood."

Ken took Jonathan to see Ryan and speak with the doctor. Robbie stayed with Val.

* * *

Jonathan and Ken sat on either side of the unconscious Ryan's bed until he was wheeled away to be prepped for surgery. Only one person was allowed to accompany him and Jonathan insisted Ken go, he was who Ryan would want with him. Jonathan went back to Val's room finding her alone as Robbie said he had work to do. Val asked Jonathan to tell her about his son.

"Rose, I mean Val, the thing is, I was a fool. I never told Ryan I wasn't his real father. My wife Linda never wanted him to know, she was so ashamed of her affair with a married man. She had left England for Australia to start a new life. When I met her Ryan was 6 months old. She was lovely, kind, and gentle, and still a bit naive about men. I knew right away she was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I told her the past did not matter, I would be honored to be her husband and Ryan's father. We hoped to have more children but three years after we married she got pancreatic cancer and I lost her six short weeks after her diagnosis. For years it was just we two, father and son. Many times I wanted to tell him the truth but I couldn't break my word to Linda." He paused for a moment while a nurse came in to check on Val.

"One day when he was a teenager Ryan found a drawer full of his mother's belongings. I had donated her clothes and sorted out other things but never could bear to clear out her personal items and put them all in a cedar chest. There was a diary from the year she was pregnant, writing about her troubles helped her get through it. Why she kept it I don't know, perhaps to remind herself of how things can always get better. Anyway Ryan confronted me and demanded to know why I never told him the truth, said the truth he could accept, a lie he could not. I couldn't answer him not wanting to lie again and not wanting to blame his mother. He left the house and stayed with friends until it was time to go to uni. I made sure he had funds and wrote him a letter, told him I was sorry and I would always be there if he needed me. He hasn't spoken to me since. A friend told me he went to England to find his real father and came home very disappointed, devoted himself to his career. I am glad to know he has a partner and doubly happy that he is your son...Val."

Jonathan got up and paced around the room. "I lost my son because of a lie. I did it because I loved him and wanted to protect him from the truth. How could I have been so stupid and given up so much and hurt him like that?"

"I understand." Val told him why.

* * *

Meanwhile Robbie was on a mission. He was determined to find Laura. There were so many things he had to tell her and hoped it wasn't too late.

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the delay in updating this story. Mr. Hobsonfan and I are away on a camping trip and the internet is even more unreliable than what we have at home. On the plus side, we got to meet up with MHC1987 for an enjoyable breakfast.**


	9. Chapter 9

DS Gray now had a source for reliable information at the hospital and helped Robbie find Laura.

Robbie entered a recovery room where the diminutive blonde pathologist was sleeping. He pulled a chair up next to her bed and prepared to stay for the duration. Any attempts by hospital staff to dislodge him were unsuccessful. He took one short break when Jean Innocent came and kept watch.

One night in the pub a few years back Jean had confided in both Laura and Robbie that her husband had fathered a child with another woman. It added another clue as to why Jean did not look forward to going home at night. Robbie never expected that child would one day join his family as Ken's partner.

Shortly after returning to his post, Robbie noticed Laura struggling to open her eyes. "Laura." He gently brushed his finger on her cheek.

Her eyelids were too heavy to stay open. Without seeing, she knew who was there next to her. Her throat dry, she managed to croak out his name. "Robbie." Laura's heart beat a bit faster but her brain wasn't ready yet and she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Jonathan booked a suite at the Randolph for Val and Ken for after she was discharged from the hospital and a smaller classic room for himself. Ken would spend most of his time at Ryan's bedside. Ryan came through the surgery and his body was getting used to the new kidney while his other injuries healed.

Val wanted to visit Ryan before she left the hospital and Jonathan walked her down to his recovery room. Jonathan had not wanted to upset Ryan by visiting. When they got to his room, Ken was waiting outside for them. "Mum, they said one at a time so why don't you go in." Val went in and sat by the man she had come to think of as a second son.

Ken had news for Jonathan. "I told him you were here. He wants to see you."

"Really?" He choked up. "Thank-you."

After a few minutes Val came out. She nudged Jonathan. "Your turn."

"He looked at Ken. Are you sure?"

"Yes, we talked briefly. The time for secrets and lies is over. Now it's time for forgiveness."

Jonathan quietly entered the room and sat by his son's bedside and held his hand. Neither spoke for a few minutes, then Ryan whispered, "Hi Dad."

When Jonathan came out he told Val and Ken that Ryan was asleep.

Val asked, "How did it go?"

Tears welled up in his eyes, "My son, he forgives me, wants me back in his life."

Ken stayed at the hospital while Jonathan got Val settled in at the Randolph. Before he left her to rest he had something to ask her. He dug his hand in his pocket.

"Rose, sorry I mean Val, I bought these last week." He handed her some tickets.

"Cats, the musical, next month at the town hall theatre?" How did he know it was her favorite show?

"I was wondering if maybe you would like to go with me. If you are planning to go back to Australia, that is."

"I am."

"Just friends", and then more softly, "for now."

She considered his offer and decided it was worth the risk. "Yes I'd like to go. It's nice to have a friend."

Jonathan smiled and was happy he had chosen an evening at the local theatre and not a weekend away.

* * *

Laura now had her eyes fully open "Hey you."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure yet. What are you doing here?"

"I have you under surveillance. You are a difficult woman... to keep track of. "

"Why, am I under arrest?"

"If only it were that easy to hang onto you. Are you feeling up to a few questions?"

"That depends who the questions are from, DI Lewis, or Robbie." She coughed. "I need a drink."

Robbie held a cup of water to her lips. She nodded. "Better. Go ahead."

He tried not to sound like a police officer. "How come you are here? I thought Mr. Innocent was the kidney donor."

She shifted on the bed to raise her head. "He was a match, being Ryan's biological father helped his chances. Upon further testing it turned out he's given his kidneys quite a bashing over the years and they are not suitable for donation." She winced in pain. "Jean and I got tested when he did and found I was also a match. I always lubricate my kidneys with excess water when I drink so they are in pristine shape."

"Ken is grateful. I'm happy Ryan is alive but my family has hurt you again."

Laura leaned back against her pillow and Robbie clumsily tried to straighten her covers.

"Robbie, What's that?" She pointed at his bandaged right hand.

"That's for putting yourself in harm's way, twice, to save Val and now Ryan. There's a wall needing a new paint job."

"Robbie you would have done the same thing." She gave him the once over again. "And that?" She carefully touched the bruise on his other hand.

"That was for the message you left."

"What was wrong with it?"

"It was only a small bump! When I got the text about the accident you were the first person I thought of."

"That means a lot to me Robbie."

He lifted the cup of water so she could have another drink. "I've been a bit of a fool. I should have told you about Val as soon as I got that letter from Lawrie."

"Maybe you can make it up to me when I get back from New Zealand. If you haven't gone back to your first love."

"When you get back, what about me?"

"Robbie, you are not going to New Zealand with me."

"But we're all set, we planned it. What am I meant to do, stay here alone?"

"You have work." She touched his arm. "Running around in a bullet proof vest makes you happy." Then she punched his shoulder with as much strength as she could muster.

"What was that for?"

"You were going to wait until the last minute and tell me you weren't going with me, break my heart."

"I-"

"Robbie I can tell by the expression on your face I am right."

"I'm sorry luv. I am a lot of a fool."

"I saved you the trouble Robbie. Our new chapter took a turn I did not expect. We went from lovers to flatmates, well flatmates with benefits, sometimes, not often lately."

Her assessment of their relationship hit him in the gut. This wasn't how it was meant to be. Robbie blurted out, "Marry me."

Laura made a face. "No. That won't change anything. I'll never know whether I have you or not. Sometimes our relationship is like a hobby to you, you're here when it's convenient, you use me when you want to , just like that damned canoe."

"Laura, how can I make you understand? I love you and I love Val but I'm in love with you. I'm not in love with Val anymore. That chapter is finally closed."

"Is that because she closed it?"

"All these years...we didn't come this far just to get this far."

She tapped his chair with her finger. "How long are you staying here?"

"Until you go home."

"I'm going to Brad and Carole's house to recuperate for two weeks, not home."

Laura's brother did not approve of Robbie, did not see him sticking with his sister through thick and thin. His wife Carole was a bit more optimistic and could see the love between the pair of them and wanted Robbie and Laura to have their happy ending. "I can drive you to their house."

"Brad will pick me up. As I said, you have work."

"There must be something I can do."

"You can get that bloody canoe off my patio before I get home."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Everything unconditional belongs in pathology**_

Jean Innocent and Robbie walked along the river, each carrying a coffee. She was not looking forward to the conversation she needed to have with him. As they stopped to watch the swans Jean stated the reason she asked him to meet her. "I have Chief Superintendent McKendrick's report about your wife's faked death."

Robbie merely raised his eyebrows.

"Fiona appointed a task force to find out what happened and who Lawrie manipulated. It wasn't just Pamela Carson and Simon Monkford. There had to be police involvement."

"Must have been some rogue coppers I suppose."

She sighed, "I'm afraid this will hurt Robbie. You were betrayed by a few of our own."

He squeezed his cup so hard some coffee spurted out of the top. "Tell me."

"The names you know are DCI Martin Johnson, DI Jack Cornish, Dr. Martin Cook, and DS Alison McLennan."

Robbie gripped the arm of a bench and lowered himself onto the seat. "Johnson, Cornish, and Cook, they don't surprise me but Ali, are you sure?"

"Yes, it's all in Dr. Lafferty's report. Fiona put him in charge. He found an unidentified homeless woman's body was substituted for Val's." Jean sat down next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Robbie, Lawrie paid McLennan to kill the woman."

Robbie's shoulders slumped. "That's not the Ali McLennan I knew."

"She wasn't though was she?"

Jean did not want to let Robbie wallow in grief over McLennan's betrayal.

"Fiona said heads would roll but it's too late for that, Johnson and McLennan are both dead, Cornish has vanished, and Cook is in jail for selling body parts extracted from his corpses."

Robbie's face did not look happy. "Cook is lucky to be in jail where he is safe from Laura when she finds out."

Jean stared at the water. "I went to see Laura earlier today. She knows about the report. Stuart Lafferty called her."

"How is she?"

Jean turned to face him. "Why don't you find out for yourself? Or don't you still quite like her."

"I more than 'quite liked her'. I never showed Laura or the rest of the world that I loved her. I assumed everyone knew." Robbie turned away from Jean. "Laura is better off without me."

"Oh?"

"Well, for starters I am apparently still married. Then there's the age difference. And she deserves someone who isn't a bad tempered old grouch."

"Honestly Robbie I could hit you sometimes. You just need a good lawyer to unravel the marriage. The age difference is only 13 years, not a century like you make it out to be." She saw his shocked expression. "Are you telling me you don't know her real age?"

Robbie did some calculations in his head. All those years ago he must have thought of and forgot the wrong number when she invited him to her party.

Jean pointed at him with her cup. "Furthermore you choose to be an old grouch. Why is that, to pay homage to your old mentor Morse?"

"James accused me of the same thing, carrying on Morse's legacy." He closed his eyes as a memory flooded his brain. "Morse claimed to be the cheeriest Chief Inspector in the Division."

"Ha!" She took a drink of her coffee, now cold, and grimaced. "That man has a lot to answer for. As do you."

He answered with the same old excuse. "Stuck in the past, me."

* * *

Robbie went to the flower shop and carefully selected a bouquet with no roses. The attendant gave him a card to go with them. He began writing, 'Val'...

Val was surprised and pleased to receive Robbie's flowers and note. He remembered her favorite purple Chrysanthemums.

* * *

Later in the day James found Robbie at his desk.

"Robbie, aren't you going to visit Laura while she recuperates from surgery? It's the least you can do after she donated a kidney to your son's partner."

"Moody has a cold case he wants me to look into."

"You are choosing a case over Laura? THAT is your decision?"

Robbie glared at him. "If you must know, there is trouble in Paradise."

"And throwing yourself into work is going to make things better?"

"It's what I do." He turned and stared at some data on his computer.

"Go, be with Laura, hold her hand."

"We don't do...holding hands."

"Now who does that remind me of?"

Robbie swiveled his chair towards James. "Tell me, what does Franco look like?"

"The dictator?"

"No clever clogs, Laura's old boyfriend, her onetime date."

James closed his eyes to recall the one and only time he saw Franco. "He is good looking, silver hair, a little older than her, foreign maybe."

"Yeah, German."

"Why are you asking about him?"

"I drove to her brother's house, sat outside trying to decide what to say to Laura. Just as I was getting out of the car I saw a man with a large bouquet of flowers at the door. Bradley Hobson let him in, looked very pleased to see him."

"And what did you do?"

"I waited two hours until he came out, then I left."

James threw up his hands. "Robbie!"

"How can I be jealous? If he can make her happy and I can't..."

"Well if that's your reaction there is only one thing to do."

"What's that?"

"Go back to Val."

* * *

A few days ago Laura had a pleasant visit with Franco. She watched him from the window as he left for his car and spotted Robbie outside sitting in his. Laura saw Robbie drive off and realized he must have seen Franco. Her good mood faded. Why did Robbie always give up so easily? Wasn't she worth fighting for? She returned to her room and completed the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper, then read her horoscope.

'You deserve optimism, positivity, someone who knows the sun will not always be out, but is not afraid to dance in the middle of the street with you through the rain, snow, and hail. Don't dwell on those who make you feel unfulfilled; leave them without feeling bad. Love is supposed to be extraordinary. Don't settle for anything less.'

* * *

When Laura's two week recovery period was over she prepared to go home. Brad and Carole took good care of her but now she was ready to be on her own again. It wasn't always easy for her to live with other people. She hugged Carole and thanked her sister-in-law for her hospitality then went out the front door where she expected Brad would be loading her bag into his car.

Instead she walked out into the brilliant sunshine and thought she must have still been under the influence of last week's pain medication. A man was leaning against a 1960 Mark II Jaguar. Laura blinked her eyes a few times before she was sure it was Robbie, dressed in his best suit, with polished shoes, a clean white hankie in his top pocket, and sporting the blue tie that matched her eyes. Robbie was holding up a sign with 'DR. HOBSON' in large letters.

Laura's heart skipped a beat and she willed it back into order while looking around for her brother. He was nowhere to be found. Laura stood and stared warily at Robbie. He straightened up and walked towards her, slipped his arm under hers to escort her down the driveway. When they reached the passenger side door he opened it and stated, "I'll give you a lift home."

Laura hesitated. "I don't know." Where was Brad when she needed him?

Robbie gave her his most earnest expression and spoke in his deep quiet voice, the one that always melted her frosty mood. "I'm not arguing."

Aware that for once in his life Robbie was not giving up easily, Laura was still a bit leery of him letting her down and briefly trying to make things up to her. She politely told him, "Yes, I would like a ride home please."

They did not talk during the thirty minute drive. Robbie played a recording of Wagner's _The Flying Dutchman_ conducted by Knappertsbusch. When they arrived home Robbie asked Laura to wait while he unlocked the house then opened her car door and helped her out. Laura turned towards the door and as she prepared to step forward Robbie swooped down and lifted her up.

Feet dangling Laura started to protest but Robbie was deaf to her insistence he put her down and carried her into the house to the front room and gingerly set her down on the sofa.

There was an overwhelming bouquet in the air. Laura gazed around the room to find flowers, dozens of white lilies, blue orchids, and red roses in vases on every surface in the room. With a perplexed expression on her face she asked, "Who died?"

Robbie sat down next to her. "No one, they are for you. I wanted it to smell nice in here and Carole said lilies and orchids were your favorites. I should have known that. The red roses are because I love you."

Without hesitation she responded sharply, "You should love me." Before she could soften her tone Robbie took her hands in his.

"I know. After all you have done for me. First as my best friend you helped me heal after I lost Morse and Val. Then you were by my side as I started a new chapter of my life."

"I did it because I loved you."

"You must have loved me, you let me break your heart over and over."

Laura nodded.

"I'm not the same man who was married to Val. The grief changed me. You changed me. The man I am today can love only you."

"Robbie, even if you and Val legally divorce, you won't really be mine. You have a history."

"You're wrong Laura."

"Oh?"

"I finally figured it out. Val, dead or alive, wasn't the problem. You helped me put her ghost to rest. She is my past, you are my present and I hope my future."

"I don't see me in your future."

Robbie took some papers out of his jacket pocket. "Let me show you my future. This is the new police consulting contract Moody offered me."

Tears welled up her eyes and she fought them off. "You will be brilliant Robbie as always. Only you won't find me home at the end of your long work day."

Robbie got up and left the room for a minute. He returned carrying something. "Our life together wasn't just a footnote in my new chapter." Robbie held up the contract for her to take a last look before he inserted each page into the document shredder. "Whether you take me back or not, I am done being a copper. I don't want to be like Morse and drive away everyone I love before they carry me out." He wedged himself onto the sofa next to her. "You won't mind being with a pensioner again?"

"That depends."

"I can't promise I won't burn your dinner but I will have it on the table for you when you get home."

"And what will you do all day, build another canoe?"

"Nope. I've enrolled in a massage therapy class, ends at 3:30 so I won't be late home. I'll be paying special attention to the lesson on back rubs." He slid his arm around her shoulders and let her head rest on his. "Those are my plans."

"Thank-you for sharing them with me." Suddenly overcome by fatigue she closed her eyes and allowed herself to get comfortable on his familiar form and soon fell asleep. Robbie was able to get up without waking her. He went to get Laura's favorite pillow and slid it under her head, removed her shoes and covered her with a quilt.

Laura awoke a couple of hours later to find Robbie reading a newspaper in a chair next to the sofa. She rubbed her eyes. "Have you been watching me sleep?"

"Yeah. I wanted to lie down next to you but I was afraid you might wake up and punch me."

"It's possible." She yawned.

"How are you feeling Laura?"

"I'm not sure. I had the strangest dream. You were giving up police work for good." She gave him the once over.

"Well it must be true. It says so right here." He showed her a full page ad opposite the crossword puzzle.

'Robbie Lewis announces his permanent retirement from the Oxford Police Department.'

"Let me see that!"

He handed her the paper. "You didn't notice it when you did the crossword puzzle today?"

"No, Brad said he forgot to save it for me and completed it himself and then Carole used the paper to wrap some rubbish for the bin." She squinted at him over the top of the paper. "Brad and Carole were in on this?"

"Yep."

"I can see Carole going along with your plan but Brad? He hasn't always been your biggest fan."

"I know. He prefers dictators to cops."

"Franco is just a friend now." Laura wanted to change the subject and she had been curious about something since earlier in the day. "Morse's car."

"What about it?"

"You've had it in storage for years. Why bring it out now, or have you been using it all along?"

"I couldn't, even though years ago Ken and Val wanted me to; it reminded me of the past. Morse left instructions for the car. At the bottom of the list was 'I hope the Jaguar brings you an excess of joy'."

"Morse wrote that?"

"Yeah. Maybe that is his legacy and I've been wrong all these years."

"You wanted to save the world, or at least part of it."

"I let my own world crumble around me." Robbie took the newspaper out of her hands. "Do you fancy a bite to eat?"

"I could murder a curry." She turned her head and said pointedly, "Is there room for us to eat out on the patio?"

"Yes, plenty of room out there, no unauthorized vehicles." He clasped her hand and helped her up. "I have a better idea than the patio, if you don't think we are too old."

"Too old for what?"

"You'll see." He tucked her hand under his arm as they went to the stairs and climbed up, continuing all the way to the end of the hall. There Robbie reached up and pulled down the folding attic stairs. "C'mon." He started up the narrow steps with Laura right behind him. Robbie had to bend down to avoid bumping his head.

"Careful Robbie."

When they reached the top Laura saw a picnic hamper. "We're eating in the attic?"

"No, one floor up." Still hunched over Robbie pointed upward and opened the skylight. Before she could protest he picked Laura up, careful to mind her surgical incision, (he had asked Lyn where it would be) until her head peaked out into the open air.

"The roof?"

"Yeah."

With Robbie's help Laura was able to get herself out onto the roof. "What about the food?"

"It's a moveable feast." Robbie handed up the picnic hamper to Laura then easily lifted himself up to join her.

"It's lovely up here."

"There is a blanket in case you get cold."

Robbie spread a tablecloth down for them to sit on and got out their favorite chicken curry sandwiches and potato salad. He fixed Laura a drink with a lemon wedge resting on the rim and a little umbrella on top.

She took a sip. "Robbie, this is sparkling water."

"We have to take care of your one remaining kidney."

"I have no intention of living like a nun."

He grinned at her. "I am very pleased to hear it."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Laura enjoyed the view, especially the sight of her large and unencumbered patio below.

Robbie finished his sandwich quickly while Laura nibbled at hers. "I have something for you." He pulled something out from under the tablecloth.

Laura couldn't believe it. "Robbie, why are you giving me a picture of your bloody canoe. I won't have it anywhere in my house."

"After I tell you what it's for, I hope it will still be our house."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Well, go on."

"I want you to use this to remind me whenever I am being a fool. You shouldn't have to wait for me to figure it out and make it up to you. You can just put this on my pillow or my place at the table." He saw her mulling it over. "Sometimes we don't communicate well and this way you won't have to try and find the words. "

"How many copies of this can I have?"

"As many as you need."

"I suppose we can have some in our house if they serve a useful purpose."

"Good." Robbie packed up the remains of their meal. He punched a button on a small CD player and held out his hand to Laura. "Do you fancy a dance?"

* * *

James Hathaway and Jean Innocent met for a drink at _The White Horse_.

Jean took a sip of her wine. "You say he finally figured it out? You didn't bring him around?"

James stared at his pint. "Laura asked me not to, said it wouldn't stick unless he made the decision himself."

"To get a divorce?"

"Yes, but not from Val."

Jean understood. "From the job."

James nodded. "Val never was the real problem. He had already buried her. Laura believed he was married to his work and it would always come first. She accepted it because she loved him."

"Now he realizes he loves her more." She sighed. "Finally, Laura can look forward to going home to Robbie every night. If only Mr. Innocent wasn't always indisposed..."

* * *

Val appreciated Robbie's note. It said he was glad she had a friend to help her start her new chapter, no longer living a lie. He advised her to take it slow, but not too slow. After nearly losing Ryan, Ken Lewis mellowed a bit and he and Robbie would begin rebuilding their father and son relationship. While Ken took on the role of nurturer in the partnership Ryan became more adventurous and started taking risks. Perhaps it was his near death experience or having Jonathan back in his life. Or maybe he was influenced by the body part he received from Laura Hobson.

Not every relationship got a happy ending. Lyn was unable to forgive her mother for the faked death and all the years of grief. She understood why her father did not tell her as soon as he found out, to protect the health of her newborn, Susan. She allowed Tim to take the children to visit Val after first explaining the situation to Jack in terms he might understand. Val was delighted to hold her granddaughter Susan. Jack was polite to her but distant, fiercely loyal to Laura. He told Val that his grandfather was wrong, pathology was not overrated and he hoped to be taking care of corpses himself when he grew up. Val, Jonathan, Ken, and Ryan would return to Australia. Tim would keep in touch and send pictures and news of the children. Lyn continued to mourn for the mother she once loved.

* * *

Laura had her arms around Robbie's neck while his twined lightly around her waist. Her kept her warm without the blanket. "What's this song Robbie?" She recognized the voice and the guitar.

"James wrote it for us. It's called _Two Moody People_.

As they swayed in unison on the roof, careful not to get too close to the edge, each found meaningful lyrics in the song.

'Two colleagues who work together for years."

'You're on a pull tonight.'

'If you find out do let me know.'

'I had my suspicions.'

'It's strange after all these years, really good strange.'

'Have a good time, you deserve it.'

'Fancy a ride?'

'Still innocent after all these years.'

Robbie stopped dancing and leaned in to kiss Laura. Spines tingling, knees shaking, and hearts fluttering it felt as good as their first kiss. After several moments he pulled back and said breathlessly, "I've been thinking about doing that all day." He kissed her again.

Laura let a contented murmur escape from her lips then responded in a sultry voice, "Same here."

Robbie reached over to turn up the volume for the next line of the song.

'Marry the person you cannot live without.'

He whispered in her ear, "What do you say Laura?"

They stopped dancing briefly as Laura reached inside Robbie's jacket pocket for the pen she knew would be there, then bent down and picked up the picture of the canoe. She turned it over, wrote 'MRS LAURA LEWIS' on the back, and held it up for him to see.

The song ended with 'Today I have an excess of joy.'

Soft, delicate snowflakes began falling on them and they went on dancing. It was extraordinary.

 _ **What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.**_ **Frederich Nietzsche**

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading through the final chapter. I had the idea about Val still being alive over a year ago. I really did not want to write this story but I couldn't get it out of my head so I tried to be fair to everyone (except poor Lyn). I always liked Val and wanted her to have a good outcome. In my mind though Robbie has to be with Laura in the end. Happy Trails! -H**


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